Simon's Night [Mass Market Paperback]

Jon Hassler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1986

"A marvel. Out of Old Age, which our peculiar times have determined to view as a sort of generational sin, Jon Hassler has drawn forth a poignant, funny, wise novel about Eternal Youth."
THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
Simon Shea, a retired professor of English at a small Minnesota college, has begun to forget things and is making dangerous errors in living. Thinking he needs to be cared for more closely, he commits himself to a private rest home, and opens a world of the strange, delightful, frightening, and comic, as he attempts to recover from his mistake.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A marvel. Out of Old Age, which our peculiar times have determined to view as a sort of generational sin, Jon Hassler has drawn forth a poignant, funny, wise novel about Eternal Youth."
THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
Simon Shea, a retired professor of English at a small Minnesota college, has begun to forget things and is making dangerous errors in living. Thinking he needs to be cared for more closely, he commits himself to a private rest home, and opens a world of the strange, delightful, frightening, and comic, as he attempts to recover from his mistake.

From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345333748
• ISBN-13: 978-0345333742
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an insightful perspective on aging, March 5, 2000

By 

Lisa Amman (St. Joseph, Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Night (Mass Market Paperback)

John Hassler's, Simon's Night, is an incredible novel that creatively portrays issues surrounding the experience of aging. Hassler achieves this by personalizing the experience in his character, Simon Shea, a retired English professor. The novel explores Shea's mental process while he is struggling to be responsible about his decision to give up independent care and place himself in the care of a nursing home. Hassler successfully depicts the challenges many elderly people face through Simon's experiences and witty commentary on maintaining dignity, handling fear, reconciling past experiences, and living in relation to a culture which glorifies youth. For such an important and potentially depressing topic, this novel was a pleasure to read. The well developed characters were intriguing, often funny, and I found myself emotionally attached to them. This attachment gave the wisdom of Hassler's insights the strength of emotional connection.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simon is a delightful person with great insight., November 18, 1999

By 

Mary Sue Hughes ([e-mail]) (Muncie, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Night (Paperback)

I read Dear James by Jon Hassler and, as is my usual practice, I went in search of other books by him. I must say that Simon's Night was a great delight. I am now reading it aloud to my husband who is enjoying it as much as I did. A nursing home or rather an old folks home is all right if one has no mind left. But for the mentally alert person it is a living death. As one who is just entering retirement, I feel a long way from decrepit and ready to be cared for by anyone other than myself. I will recommend this book to anyone who is a serious reader of fiction and a student of human behavior.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a novel about an older man which is realistic!, February 23, 2002

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simon's Night (Mass Market Paperback)

Simon Shea, a retired college professor used to living a rather solitary life, becomes frightened after he has a few episodes of forgetfulness, the worst one causing an overheated pan to set his kitchen on fire. Shaken and feeling suddenly old, he decides he needs to commit himself to a rest home. In short, he no longer feels competent to live the independent life he's relished for so long and fears he is losing his mind.
This is, of course, a BIG mistake for Simon has plenty of vim and energy left and his mind is just fine. Luckily, he has a perceptive young doctor who sees his potential even when Simon's spirits falter and a visit from his wife (who Simon hasn't seen in years) also helps to set things straight. But before that happens, Simon has to confront his own demons, revisit his memories of teaching, marriage and...finally...re-examine his religious beliefs and come to terms with how they've shaped his life.
But this book is far, far more than I can describe here. Simon Shea is a complex, enigmatic character, nothing like the stereotypes of the elderly that fill too many books these days. It was a joy to get to know him and by the end of this novel, I felt I wanted to see waht happened to Simon. Wonder if there is a sequel to this one out there?